Friday, February 12, 2100

On February 11, 2012, my wife came across the Love146.org website and we started looking through it together. We were awestruck to learn that slavery is still rampant worldwide, even in the United States. I started digging through their website for more information and I came across a video titled, "Imagine." This video didn't just grab me, it shook me. This was my call to action and I knew I had to join the fight.

This video was the turning point in my life where I became an abolitionist. I have three beautiful little girls and a little boy. This video kept me up through the night thinking of my own children and the suffering of child slaves around the world. I thought, "If only I could free these kids and adopt them as my own. Give them the protection and love all children deserve."

I thought of early abolitionists, the civil rights movement and horrid events such as the holocaust. How many people stood by while these atrocities occurred? A better question, how many stood up to defend the rights of themselves and others?

Will I stand by or stand up?
What will you do?

The first step to ending slavery worldwide is awareness. Until a few weeks ago, I was not aware that there are 27 million slaves worldwide. That's more slaves than any time in history, including the transatlantic slave trade. If I, an "educated" college graduate, business professional, youth church leader and father of four was not aware of the magnitude of modern slavery, then there must be thousands of others out there just like me that need to know.

CAN WE REALLY END SLAVERY?

Yes we can! Professor Kevin Bales, abolitionist and President of Free the Slaves, gave this address at the TED Conference in February 2010. It's a basic synopsis of his book Ending Slavery, which I highly recommend.

So sit back, relax, maybe make some popcorn and listen as Kevin Bales explains how we can end slavery. Every Abolitionist should watch this.

Together we CAN end slavery. Together we WILL end slavery. Please visit my "Get Involved" page to learn more about ways YOU can make a difference.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.- Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Great stuff. I've been an orphan advocate for a few years and recently moved across the country to work for an NPO that does global orphan care. We are just having our eyes opened to the sex trade issue and how we are doing prevention in Russia. We are also launching ministry in Moldova and India.

I thought the orphan / poverty issue rocked my world....well, I'm getting rocked all over again. Our president just wrote a book to be published on June 1 called Priceless" and it follows the story of a young woman who ages out of the Russian orphanage system and finds herself trafficked. I bet I could get you an advance copy of you'd review it and maybe help spread the word!

Email me if you'd like to connect on these issues!Brandi@hopechest.org

What a great blog! I came across it from a retweet. I'm listening to the TED talk you posted and I'm amazed and appalled. I'd love to do a profile about your blog and work, and perhaps an interview. Thanks!

I just found this through a tweet on twitter..I did not intend to watch the entire video clip but could not stop. I am dumbfounded by the circumstances you describe but also so amazed at the information you have and the work you do!!!! God Bless you in your efforts! I will be looking for Professor Bales book today! I will also be retweeting this to all of my followers~Again, God Bless You!

Thanks for watching the videos and for sharing them with all of your twitter followers. It's great to hear stories like this. It gives me hope that the abolitionist movement is growing.

Sometimes I wonder how much good I'm doing with this blog, but even if it helps only a handful of people learn about modern slavery and join the movement, it's worth it.

Keep spreading awareness, sign petitions at change.org and use whatever means and skills you have to help combat this evil. Be sure to checkout "6 Things You Can Do to Combat Modern Slavery" using the link below.

Great blog, you are doing great work. I am currently working with ECPAT-USA, which stands for Ending Child Prostitution, Pornography, and Trafficking. I would like to talk to you about some of our campaigns. So email me at angeline@ecpatusa.org when you have a chance!

Thank you for all the great things you are doing to raise awareness. I also recently learned about human trafficking and child exploitation as well and all the ways there are to help! Thank you for what you're doing. I wish you all the best and can't wait to hear what happens with you next!